We spoke with Martina - the main originator of the Ops Biotics+ cosmetics line and the manager of the entire project of natural phytodermo cosmetics within the Matičnjak brand.
- The herbal cosmetic line Ops Biotics+ has been on the market for about 6 months. Everything started from your ideas, which were transformed from the initial idea into real products. And the inspiration was also healthy food supplements, especially cold-pressed oils and their omega acids...
Cold pressed oils are our main core - what we all know and what we all talk about are these essential unsaturated fats, which work, nourish, recover and integrate into every cell in our body. These are well-known nutraceuticals. In addition to being nutraceuticals, they are also cosmoceuticals , which means that they are often used in cosmetic formulations, because our skin also produces its own lipids. These lipids are the building materials of the skin, but also hydrating, that is, we can say that they make up the skin's own hydration mechanism, which means that they hydrate the skin. Lipids also act as a communication factor between cells, because when the cells in the skin have good communication, then all these physiological processes in the skin take place unhindered . Then when they do not have integrated unsaturated fats in the membrane, they cannot normally communicate with each other - therefore, a basic physiological mechanism of a healthy skin is lost. Also, that same cell in the skin cannot receive any nutrients - vitamins, minerals, etc., because they cannot pass through that phospholipid bilayer . This phospholipid bilayer, when it is made of unsaturated fats, is permeable, i.e. it lets the cells get everything they need for life.
We are aware that it has been used in cosmetics for more than a hundred years, and this is evident by the tendency to put hazelnut oil in various creams, or, for example, apricot or grape oil. As soon as such oils are added, such a cream will be special from the start because it contains those unsaturated fats that play a big role in the function of the skin.
Whenever we receive inquiries about cosmetics, we can only recommend "cosmetics for the inside" - by that I mean our cold-pressed oils such as the fantastic anti-inflammatory oil of wild flax (Camelina sativa), hemp oil or walnut oil, with regular consumption of which you can quickly see and feel the results on the skin, hair and nails, which will become stronger and healthier. However, like all other vital essential substances (vitamins, minerals and omega acids) little of it is truly delivered to the skin from the inside because everything goes first to the vital organs in our body, and considering the needs of the vital organs (i.e. the organs that keep us alive ), what remains goes to the skin, which is usually a small part.
- So, the point is to practice well-rounded cosmetic care, i.e. care "inside" and "outside"?
That's right. Such an approach to skin care would be optimal, but a large number of women do not do it, and there are two most common reasons: either they do not know or they do not understand how extremely important omega acids are for our overall health, including skin health. When the skin is healthy, it is clear, has a beautiful shine and is vital.
This is exactly why I am personally very happy that we were able to connect our cosmetic line so easily with healthy food supplements in the form of different SKIN packages that are intended for care "inside" and "outside". In this way, we believe that we have truly satisfied two of the three primary parameters in terms of care. The third parameter would refer to meditation and avoiding stressful situations, that is, to the personal aspect of accepting yourself and your skin. Looking at care in this way, it is then a rounded holistic approach.
- However, many women tend to care more out of habit, not realizing how complex the skin is and that it is important to nourish it from the inside as well...
It's not initially bad either! Whatever our personal initial impulse to start doing something for ourselves, as far as care is concerned, it is essentially good and positive, because this self-care (if it is correct and healthy) will also affect many other aspects - for example, our mental strength. As soon as we consciously do something for ourselves, we automatically consciously lift ourselves up, value and love. However, if, on top of that, we also know what is in the product we put on our face, so that we do not harm ourselves or our skin with it, but only good, then that is the highest level that a woman can reach in personal care.
- Last time, on the occasion of Women's Day, you emphasized that women must choose "the best for themselves", that they should learn to read the declarations of food and healthy food supplements, and the same applies to cosmetics - women must know what they are putting on their skin...
That's right! I believe that women are the main drivers of society, and men are far "behind" women when it comes to care, but skin care is just as important for them. As with many other things, women truly take more care of everything - about the household, taking care of children, interpersonal relationships (at work and at home), as well as other people's happiness... Precisely because women today are so busy and capable of caring for so many things at once, they have to take care of what and to what extent they put on themselves. Looking only if we pass on such ways of living from generation to generation, if as mothers and women we accept and start looking after ourselves and valuing ourselves - what we put on ourselves and in ourselves, we are not even aware of how great a service we have done to our children right from the start.
- What makes Ops Biotics+ cosmetics so special is the fact that they are herbal cosmetics based on completely new Matičnjak innovations (extracts). What exactly are extracts (absolutes)?
When we talk about extracts, they have a negative connotation because they are mostly considered to be synthetic, and unfortunately, they mostly are. Fortunately, there are also natural extracts with which we managed to extract the best from the herbs in a way that does not disturb its complex, and if something is not in the complex, then we call it an isolate. Isolates can never work the way a complex works, due to the presence of many bioactive small elements that support each other and thus make something alive .
- Apart from the above, if I had to describe Ops Biotics+ cosmetics in one or two words, I would say that they are...
SKIN IDENTICAL cosmetics! [laughter]
- Can you explain a little bit what exactly that means?
What we mean when we say that our cosmetics are skin identical , it means that they include plant components of medicinal herbs that mimic the components of the skin. That's the key thing to understand. That's where I can go back to Omega acids again. So, our skin does not recognize those Omega acids that are in cosmetics as foreign substances, which automatically means that it does not bother and spend energy on metabolizing them, but rather passes them neatly deep into the skin because they are very, very similar to its lipids. This is very important to know! We can say that in this way we have found a smart pass for substances to pass through our skin. Such an equal approach applies to silymarin, to peptides, to plant stem cells... In the simplest terms, this means that there are no toxic elements in our cosmetics , which are very often found in conventional products. We paid special attention to that part, trying to avoid it at all costs, because it is extremely important to us! The appearance of any toxic elements in cosmetics makes the skin terribly tired because it has to exert much more effort to try to metabolize all that is toxic in the best possible way so that it becomes non-toxic.
- Considering that today's day is dedicated to all women and considering the fact that we are still talking about health and beauty, what would be your message to all those women who have never used herbal cosmetics products and have doubts about how and why to start ?
Why give herbal cosmetics a chance is a question that has several answers. Unfortunately, this is a segment of cosmetics that is still quite rare on the Croatian market, although it is already gaining visible momentum, so I believe that providing an opportunity to herbal cosmetics comes with awareness and certain knowledge about this segment . Herbal cosmetics are actually used in the same way as other cosmetics on the market, except that they are much cleaner and subject to much stricter market criteria. When we become aware that everything we do and how we behave greatly affects all segments of life - our own life, others and the environment around us, at that moment we will start looking at everything we do differently, including cosmetics. Speaking from personal experience, I look at cosmetics like brushing my teeth. Skin care simply has to be everyday and necessary! If we brush our teeth every day, then we must also take care of our skin - especially the skin of our face, which is constantly outside and constantly exposed to various external factors.
- A final message?
Dear women, wake up your sleeping skin - don't be afraid of redness! 😉
